Quote:
Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere
I have a PDF saved of the EA for the alignment saved on my PC - The HOVs end around Duckworth with 8 GP lanes running to the split. The NB HOV ends just north of Bayfield, with 5 GP lanes extending to Duckworth and 4 GPs afterwards, while there are 4 SB GPs running from the split down to just before Duckworth where an additional HOV opens up. The EA also doesn't identify the St. Vincent bridge as needing replacement.
This makes sense as the AADT for the 400 from Duckworth to the split in 2016 was only 66,000, compared to 120,000 between Essa and Dunlop further south. Traffic drops from about 100k to 80k between Bayfield and Duckworth, then again down to 66k between Duckworth and the 400 split.
The 400 north of the split isn't actually busy at all, a ton of traffic on the 400 gets off in Barrie. 4 GP lanes should be fine for a long time to the split. 66k is barely enough to justify 6-lanes, yet alone 8 lanes. Also likely why MTO isn't in a huge rush to replace Bayfield, the widening just isn't really needed north of there.
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Thank you for them.
It would make sense that the HOV lane ends just short of the split as further north, most of the time they would not be needed. (I'll deal with the split below.) St. Vincent seems to have been over built way back when as it seems you could easily fit another few lanes under for each side. It looks like they are preparing to do it as the last time I was by, about 2 weeks ago, it look like they were staging just north of it on the NB side.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere
SB the two lanes from each highway stay as is and become 4 lanes. NB, 3 lanes continue onto 11 before dropping to two lanes shortly after the split, and the 400 splits off with one lane and an auxiliary lane. |
...What a mess!
So, instead of a clean 2/2 split of the 4 lanes, they will do a 3/2 only to have the extra lane end shortly after the exit? It ends before the flyover. They are just asking for traffic to back up there.
As far as widening and traffic, the times that this interchange becomes very busy is the weekends in the summer. I am fortunate to live up north, so I never sit in the mess going north on a long weekend.
Right now, the last exit north that the Highway could be widened to is Maple View Dr. Essa Rd, Dunlop St and Bayview St need to be done. Anne St is under construction. Tiffin St is done. St Vincent is good. Duckworth was done with the split construction that seems to finally be done....
I could see widening to be done to Highway 9 start soon, as Canal Rd would need some work, however they decide to do that. Then, they could widen to Essa Rd and fix Canal Rd at that time. Then, once the bridges are redone, extend it to the split. I could see all this happening in 10-15 years.
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